Portfolio Manager: Agriculture

**Job Advert Summary**:
The purpose of the Portfolio Manager: Agriculture(Clusters) is;
- To manage a portfolio of Technology Innovation Clusters along the value chain from creation, kick-off, on-going monitoring and evaluation, annual reviews and impact analysis through to successful programme and project exit.
- To measure portfolio performance on outputs linked to corporate KPI’s, identification of key enabling interventions, multi-stakeholder management, targets linked to the level of industry engagement achieved, the establishment of other strategic relationships and programme fund-raising.

Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) is a talent driven, customer
- centric and impact focused organisation. In our endeavour to support technology innovation with socio-economic outcomes; we seek to infuse the organisation with team players that find resonance as value creators, agile thinkers, progressive attitudes, customer-centricity, dynamic work ethic and an optimistic disposition. We aim to harness these attributes in a manner that they culminate into a culture of teamwork, impact and accountability.

In executing its mandate, the organisation provides funding and non-funding support to stimulate innovation so that it provides a catalytic impact to the economy whilst improving people’s lives and protecting the environment.

The Agency reserves the right not to make an appointment.

**Minimum Requirements**:

- **Minimum Qualifications**:

- A 4-year degree in Biotechnology, Biosciences or Agriculture related fields of Science/Engineering.
- Business related qualification will be an added advantage
- Preference - a Master’s degree in Science/Engineering or Doctorate(PhD).

**Minimum Experience;**
- 3 years’ technology innovation experience
- 2 years’ experience in a commercial or portfolio management context

**Duties and Responsibilities**:**
Project Management**
- Ensure that performance against budget is managed and reported every quarter
- Manage and monitor the timeous disbursement of funding to ensure optimal operation of technology and innovation projects
- Active fundraising and identification of funding opportunities are identified, and additional income raised from third-party investors to leverage against TIA’s funding
- Ensure adherence to reporting obligations to TIA, i.e. prepare quarterly progress reports (internal), obtain necessary approval in line with delegation of authority (DOA), prepare disbursement documentation (internal) in cases where TIA is providing financial support to a cluster.

**Stakeholder Relations**
- Conduct ongoing stakeholder mapping exercises to inform various clusters’ strategic engagement plans.
- Manage and implement stakeholder relationships, and ensure that key partnerships are developed and leveraged
- Actively manage and grow the relationships between TIA and the programme participants, e.g. deal effectively yet fairly with any stakeholder conflicts that may arise
- Participate in events, meetings, workshops and conferences by giving input, avail skill, competency and expertise. Participation should result in positive input, impact and giving direction in the NSI.
- Actively seek out and build beneficial relationships in the private sector, public sector, HEIs and SCs;
- Establish mutually beneficial relationships with similar programmes locally and internationally
- In collaboration with Marketing and Communications, ensure that credible success stories are published internally within TIA and externally.

**Internal Processes**
- Cluster creation for key priority sectors as defined by relevant national policies, that is, concept creation, multi-stakeholder engagements, market validation, feasibility assessment and programme creation for various industries and/ or sectors.
- Strategically analyse the portfolio, create interventions, pivot and further enable the program toward maximum industry impact.
- Conduct desktop exercise of potential economic impact at the time of the program creation and feasibility.
- Convene multi-stakeholders Steering Committees to guide strategic direction for industry development.
- Actively monitor and evaluate the performance of the programme, its projects, and its participants to create intelligence reports to base decisions on.
- Assess projects within agreed timeframes, and provide support and assistance to projects to achieve their milestones
- Initiate programme/project re-scopes if required. Creation/ co-creation of Annual Operational Plans, Project Close out ,Programme exits—evaluation of various options for exit and implementation.
- Ongoing primary and secondary sector value chain analysis, to inform national sector roadmaps, masterplans, policies and incentives.
- Conduct Programme risk analysis to ensure ongoing risk mitigation plans are maintained and implemented.
- Appoint a third-party service provider for programme economic post-assessment and cocreate the terms of reference with various industry partner